The scarlet claw
by Nineflames
Summary: After a devastating flood, Frost and Shade are swept away from their mother, leaving them to try and survive by themselves. After being taken in by the clans and accepted, earning the name of Blackclaw, he's trying to figure out his morals. Soon though, the unexpected happens, and Blackclaw is hanging by a loose thread between reality and the past.
1. Chapter 1

Early one morning, after the greatest rainfall the clans had seen for generations, two cats padded through the moor of Windclan, now turned into a marsh by the heavy rain, searching for rabbits that had strayed to far from their burrows.

"Are you sure there are still any rabbits left after that rain? I bet they all drowned in their burrows," muttered the younger of the two, the apprentice.

"Quiet, keep moving." The older cat, his mentor, kept moving, with his belly low to the ground and his tail sticking straight out behind him.

As they were searching for prey, a smell carried on the breeze hit the apprentices nose, his heart leaped. "I can smell something!" He whispered to his mentor.

The older cat immediately pricked his ears. He nodded, "I can hear something at the top of that hill." He motioned with his tail. "Could you tell what it was?"

"No, but I could try again." He opened his mouth to let the crisp, wet air and scents hit the roof of his mouth. He sighed, "certainly not rabbit, but it's too wet and soggy here to tell for sure."

"Right, well, keep moving, stay low to the ground and follow me." He settled into a stalking crouch and crept forward. The apprentice did the same.

As they were creeping up the hill, a scent made him stop and lose focus on stealth. At that moment there was a voice, full of terror and exhaustion. "Is anyone there? Help us, please!"

The two cats raced up the hill, toward the voice, cat-scent clear now. When they reached the top, they found two cats, mother and kit, sinking deep into a thick patch of mud. The kit was in neck deep, and it didn't look to have much time.

The mother had sunken to her belly fur. Both were now crying for help. "Please save my kit! I'm begging you!" The mother frantically pleaded.

"Tuftpaw! There should be some sticks near the Thunderclan border, go!"

Tuftpaw turned and practically flew over the short grass towards the Thunderclan border. When he reached the border there was a voice that made him jump. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

A black and white tom, twice his size, stepped out of the bushes on the other side of the border. "What are you doing here?" He asked the breathless apprentices.

"I...I need..." He panted.

"Need what?" The tom asked.

"...Stick." He finished.

The tom looked truly puzzled. "What for?" He asked, tilting his head to one side.

"Could you please just help me carry one? I'm not strong enough by myself." Tuftpaw snapped, still breathing hard.

"Okay, okay, calm down. Just show me where to." He picked up a large stick and leaped the river, which served as the border.

Tuftpaw turned and raced as fast his exhaustion would allow him. Though his lungs screamed painfully for air and his legs burned, he kept running. _I can't let myself slow down, a life's in danger! Oh, Starclan, don't let them die! _And with that thought in mind, he raced up the hill.

"Here!" Tuftpaw shouted as loud as he could.

The kit had sunken down to her face after Tuftpaw left. Though she was still visible.

"What's the matter?" The black and white tom asked Tuftpaws' mentor.

"Can't you see!? Cats are going to die if you don't give me that stick!" He snatched the stick in his jaws and inched it closer and closer to the kits face, while still trying to keep from falling in himself, she immediately bit into the end. "Hold tight, got it?" He mumbled. The kit nodded. Slowly, he pulled the kit out, the muck sucking and squelching as she was pulled out, first at the neck, then the chest, and finally at her legs, until she escaped the clutches of the mud and collapsed on the wet earth.

Meanwhile, Tuftpaw had collapsed from pain, exhaustion, and hunger. Never before had he ran so hard, so full of intent. After he had regained his breath he realized something; he had saved another cats life. He was so filled with pride he felt like his heart would explode. Then he remembered the kit, he had to make sure she was okay.

He rose to his paws and looked around for her, finding her laying on a patch of grass, breathing slowly and heavily. When he approached her she lifted her head to look at him. Finally she spoke, "thanks for saving me. I owe you my life." She said with a sincere look in her eyes.

Tuftpaw felt a hot rush of embarrassment and something else, _could it be...? No, impossible. _He banished the thought quickly from his mind. It wasn't possible. He didn't even know this she-cats name, if she had one. "I-it was nothing. You were about to die, any cat would do the same." He used the common lie.

She seemed to see through it though. Grinning she said, "That isn't important. I can clearly see you ran a very long ways, seeing as how tired you are. But you brought the cat with the stick. You didn't give up, just for me. You don't even know me, but you fought so hard to save me, and for that, I am forever grateful." She rose, stretched her neck towards him, and licked him on the cheek.

As she did so, he felt another hot rush, but not of embarrassment, he knew what it was. "L-like I said, i-its no problem." He dipped his head so that she couldn't see her face.

As though she saw his discomfort she changed the subject, exclaiming, "Ugh! This mud is so nasty! Do you know where a clean puddle is?" She whipped around, searching for somewhere to wash the mud off.

"Hmm? Yeah, all over the moors. Here, let me show you." He led her to the edge of the hill. When they got there, they looked out on the Moorland.

"Hmph, it looks more like a swamp then a moor." She grumbled as they walked down the hill. "Does it always look like this?" She asked, looking puzzled.

"No, usually it's all very dry." He answered, and sighed, "that was the heaviest rainfall in generations, I'm told."

She shuddered. "Please, don't remind of that. It was horrible, all that rain. I've never seen so much rain."

When he looked at her face, she was truly terrified. _She must have had it so much harder, being the kit of a loner. _Briefly he wondered how old she was, but decided to ask after she had washed the mud off. "Here, you can wash yourself off in here." He nodded toward a natural basin of water.

"Thanks." She mewed.

"I'm going to go wash off my paws." He told her, moving towards a clear pool of water.

While Tuftpaw was washing his paws he thought about things: About how lucky she was he found her, how lucky he was to have a quick-minded mentor. how lucky he was that the Thunderclan tom had appeared when he reached the border. _The tom!_ He realized.

Turning, he called to the she-cat, "I need to do something! I'll be right back!" He shook his paws dry and took off towards the hill.

"Hey! Wait for me!" She called back, scrambling out of the water and shaking herself off. She raced after him. When she caught up to him, she asked, "what's wrong?"

"I remembered something important I have to do." He replied.

"Well, whatever it is, I'm coming with you."

"Fine, fine."

They rounded the hill and continued towards the border. He saw a white tipped tail pass through a bush on the far side of the border. "Hey! Wait!" He called to the cat.

A head poked out of the bush, "Yes? Oh, hi. What is it?"

"I forgot to thank you." He muttered through heavy breaths.

"Oh, it's okay. No need, really. My name's Largepaw, by the way. Don't tell anyone I helped got that? Bye!" He turned and padded through the bushes.

Tuftpaw was left utterly shocked. T_hat cat, an apprentice!?_ _But he's so huge! _He quickly forgot his shock, however, when the she-cat spoke to him. "My names Sky. What's yours? Errrmm... Toughpaw?"

"No, Tuftpaw." He corrected. "It's nice to hear you have a name, Sky."

"Same to you. Did that big cat who first came with you have a name?" She asked.

"Yeah, it's Gorsefang." He replied.

"But why do you and Largepaw have 'paw' in your names?" She asked, puzzled.

"Because we're apprentices."

"What are apprentices?"

"Warriors in training."

"What's a warrior?"

_Don't her questions stop? _He wondered. "They protect the clan and train apprentices among other things," he said in a slightly exasperated tone.

Even though he tried to hide his feeling of irritation, Sky saw through it all, again. She dipped her head. "Sorry for asking so many questions. I'll stop now."

Tuftpaw knew that he had hurt her feelings. He felt horrible. "It's alright. I should be sorry for being impatient. I understand that you should ask questions. You don't know much anything about the clans do you?"

"Nothing." She replied, seeming much happier when he had tried to make her feel better. "Do you mind if I ask a few more questions?"

"Not at all."

"How does the clan system work?"

"Well, the clans are broken up into several parts; the kits, which start their apprenticeship at six moons, and queens, who care for them, all live in the nursery..." He answered questions about the clans like this for what seemed like sun rises.

Then Sky noticed something. "The sun's setting, you know. We should probably get back. My mom will be getting worried. Let's go." And with that, she took off towards the hill with Tuftpaw quickly following.

When they got there, however, the hill was empty, no one was there. "They're probably at the camp! Follow me!" Tuftpaw cried, leaping off of the hill.

As they were running to the camp, he heard Sky say, panting, "Slow down! I can't keep up!"

He realized that she probably didn't have Windclan blood, so he slowed to a quick trot. He realized for the first time that Windclan cats really were faster than average cats, even clan cats.

When they reached the camp, the two found that Gorsefang and Sky's mother were waiting for them outside of the camps entrance. The queen cried, "Sky! There you are! Where have you been?"

"Well, first Tuftpaw took me to a pool to wash off in. Then he remembered that he forgot to thank that other cat. So we did that, then we headed towards the hill where we almost drowned in mud, but you weren't there, so we came here." She explained, still panting.

"That was very kind of you Tuftpaw, thank you." Sky's mother said honestly.

"Did you find him?" Gorsefang asked.

"Yes, his name was Largepaw. Oh, and he said not to mention him." Tuftpaw answered.

"That's understandable, now come with me, you three need to see Moorstar." Gorsefang turned and headed into the camp.

As they were heading into camp Sky asked Tuftpaw, "Could I call you Tuft? It's so much easier to say than Tuftpaw."

Tuftpaw felt yet another wave of heat rush to his face. "Y-yeah, of course, sure."

Her face, now alit with happiness, was more beautiful than before. "Thanks...Tuft. you're the best friend I've ever had."

Tuftpaw was happy to have met Sky, he hoped that she would stay and be part of the clan. She was a good listener and, so far, honest. He walked next to her, shielding her from less than generous stares, as they walked into the camp. He whispered into her ear. "Do you plan on staying with the clan?"

She didn't look at him but whispered equally, "I'm not sure. It sounds easier than my life before, but I suppose it would be my mothers decision."

Tuftpaw realized something. "I haven't gotten your mothers name yet, have I?"

"Willow." She replied simply and quietly.

"It's a good name."

"Why are we whispering?" She asked him, still quietly.

"Not all cats would approve of me talking so comfortably with a..." He searched for the word. Unable to come up with something fitting, he just said, "...loner."

Sky looked confused, and a little angry. "Why should they care who you talk to?" Her tone rising from a whisper to normal speech level.

"Well, some cats might get ideas."

Sky seemed to know what he was hinting at. "Ugh! How could they think that!?"

Tuftpaw chuckled half-heartedly. "Yeah, some cats are just mouse-brained like that."

A cat walked up to them and asked, "Who's this? I don't recognize her." Breathing into Tuftpaws ear, so that no other cats could hear, he added. "Awfully pretty isn't she? You're a lucky cat to have found her."

"This is Sky. I found her in a mud pit, about to drown." He responded to the question. To the comment, he said nothing.

"Tuft saved my life." Sky mewed.

"Oh, he did, did he? You'll have to tell me the story sometime." He smirked at Tuftpaw, his eyes dancing with mischievous thoughts.

"Go on Larkpaw, we have to be going to Moorstars den. Come on Sky, lets go." He brushed past Larkpaw, who was still smiling.

"Who was that?" Sky asked.

"One of the cats I was talking about earlier." He answered grudgingly.

Her head recoiled slightly, "I don't like those kinds of cats, always making assumptions before thinking about the situation first." She meowed angrily.

He looked at her, smiling. "I understand completely."

Soon they reached the leaders den. "This is the great rock where Moorstar lives." He announced when they reached a huge rock. "He also uses it to make announcements to the clan."

Sky stared up at its immensity. "It's so huge! Where does he sleep?"

"By the rock."

"On the ground? Not on a moss bed, or even in a cave?"

"Nope, we all sleep on the ground, except for the oldest, youngest, and queens. See that gorse bush?" He motioned with his tail at a large gorse bush which sat near the rock. "That's where the queens and kits stay, until the kits are old enough to begin apprentice training. By the way, how old are you?"

"Hmmm... 5 no, 6 moons. How old are you?"

"Same. 6 moons."

"Really? I thought you were older."

"And I thought you were younger."

They both started laughing until Tuftpaw heard a noise behind him. They turned around to see Willow and Gorsefang standing over them. "We were waiting for you two. Why the delay?" Gorsefang asked in an innocent but commanding voice.

"Erm... I was just showing Sky around a bit." Tuftpaw answered his mentor.

"Follow us. Closely this time." He turned and walked toward the rock.

"Come on Sky." Her mother said, quickly following suit.

Tuftpaw sighed. "Might as well. Let's go." He got up and walked with them, Sky trailing closely behind.

When they reached Moorstar, they found him sitting at the base of his rock, thinking. As soon as the small group had come close enough, he opened his eyes. "Yes, Gorsefang? Who is this?" He asked, his warm gaze raking over Willow, not seeming to notice Sky.

Gorsefang related the story of how the found and rescued Willow and Sky from drowning in deep mud. "I was wondering if they could stay with Windclan." Gorsefang stated boldly.

After thinking for a long while, he lifted his head and looked straight into Willows eyes. "What do you think?"

Willow seemed startled by the clan leader asking her such an important question. "W-well, we do need a place to stay. For a time, at least."

Moorstar looked appreciative to hear the truth. "I think we can provide you a home, even if it isn't permanent. Half-moon is almost here, I'll have the medicine cat ask Starclan if you can stay."

Tuftpaw looked at Sky and they both let out squeaks of happiness. "I'm so happy! If you want, you could sleep with me tonight. Come, I'll show you where I sleep."

Sky looked as though she would explode from happiness and excitement, practically bouncing as she followed Tuftpaw to the other side of the camp, where they found a small indent in the earth. "This is where you sleep? In the open?" She asked, still shocked a cat would even think about doing it.

Tuftpaw giggled. "Yeah, it is. I promise. It's not as cold as it looks, really." When she still didn't look convinced, he added, "Here, I'll prove it to you. If it isn't just as warm sleeping here as it is under a bush, I'll find you somewhere to sleep that's more so." He challenged.

"Are you challenging me to sleep in the open with you tonight?" She smiled.

He nodded. "Yes I am."

"Challenge accepted. And if I decide to sleep here for the rest of my time staying here?"

"I won't mind."

"So it's a win either way?"

"Yup, for you."

"I accept." She had a bold look on her face, sure she would succeed.

"Want to see a few fighting moves?" He asked excitedly.

"Sure, mother never taught me how to fi-" Tuftpaw interrupted her by bowling her over. Placing his paws on her belly, she lay limp. He got off her and backed away slowly.

"Rule one: always pay close attention to your enemy." He finished his sentenced and dashed in one direction, faked, and sprinted the other. Catching her off guard he swept her fore paws out from under her, her chin crashing into the ground. He set one paw on the back of her neck and she let out a sigh, signaling she gave up.

"That wasn't very nice." She huffed when she got her face out of the dirt.

"Rule two: no hesitation." He backed away again. But this time did not try going first. "Charge at me."

"What? Why?"

"To see if you have skill." He taunted.

"I'll show you skill!" She charged at him. The taunt had worked.

He barely dodged several brilliantly quick blows. He weaved from side to side, relying on skill and reflexes. for her next move, she reared up, but as she came down, he whisked under her, rolled onto his back and kicked out with all four legs. She was sent flying, and landed a cat length away. He was surprised his kick had been so powerful. He rushed over to see if she was hurt. When he reached her, she jumped to her feet and he tensed his muscles, ready to defend himself.

She rushed him at one side, he tried to bat her away but she dodged under his blows and rolled underneath him and kicked him as he had done to her. _Quick learner._ He thought as he was sent flying through the air. He crashed to the ground, winded, he simply lay there. He heard her walk up to him. "Not so big now, are we?" She asked loftily. He tried to roll to his feet but she set her paw on his back. "Not so fast. I don't think so."

"Rule three," He muttered at her.

"What? I didn't hear you." She said bending closer to hear.

"Rule three: expect everything." She recoiled instantly, but too late. He pushed off the ground with powerful legs, crashing into her chest. She staggered, just enough to give Tuftpaw an opening for attack. As she was still staggering back on two legs he charged into her belly, throwing her back, winding her. He placed his paws on her belly again, this time she had a look of utter defeat on her face. "I win." He said triumphantly.

"You win." Sky admitted sourly.

"That was an amazing battle! Well done, you two! Amazing!" Cats all around them were cheering them on at how well they did. Sky got up and looked around with an expression of pride.

Sky let out an exhausted yawn and leaned on Tuftpaw. "Take me to the nest, please Tuft?"

He looked at her and realized just how tired he was too. "Okay. Lean on me and I'll show you where it is." He led her back to his nest, a small dip in the ground. Just large enough for two cats. He let her curl into the nest first. He curled up comfortably next to her. Sky's heavy breathing became slower and more rhythmical and she was quickly sleeping.

Tuftpaw looked to the sky. Seeing his ancestors gleaming back. _Oh Starclan, please let her stay, please. _He begged his warrior ancestors. He saw nor heard any response. Laying his head down, he gave in to the blackness of sleep.

When Tuftpaw woke up, he found Sky nowhere to be seen. He walked up to Larkpaw and asked, "Have you seen Sky around anywhere?"

Larkpaw turned to look at him with his usual smile. "Oh, that pretty little thing? I think I last saw her looking in the elders den."

Tuftpaw turned and headed for the elders den. He began hearing voices when he neared the badger set that served as the elders den. Crawling under the bush he found a tunnel and crawled in.

Voices were clear now. "Is that true? That's amazing!" He recognized Sky's voice.

"Sky? Are you in there?" He called quietly.

"Yeah, I'm in here. Come here Tuft!"

"Coming. What is it?" He asked curiously as he walked down the tunnel to the cave where the elders live.

"This old cat knows the most amazing stories!"

Wingfall, the only current elder, looked absolutely delighted. "This young cat wandered in this morning saying she was bored and had nothing to do, so I decided to tell her a story. It's been so long since I've had a youngsters company. She is a great delight, though I don't recognize her. Do you know where she comes from, Tuftpaw?"

"Well, I-" He began, but Sky cut him off.

"He saved me!" She nearly squeaked.

Wingfall looked slightly surprised. "Really? Would you mind telling that little story to an old cat?"

Tuftpaw dipped his head respectfully. "Of course not. Would you like to tell him Sky?" He looked at Sky.

She looked startled. "Sure. So, this is my version of the story," She began. "I was walking through the swampy moor with Willow, my mother. We were both very tired and decided to rest at the top of a hill that gave us a perfect view of the moor but also had tall grass on the edges so we couldn't be seen by foxes and such. We climbed to the top but when we reached the center, our paws sunk into the ground and we started to panic. Moons seemed to pass, in which we had both sunken much deeper. I was in up to my neck and Willow was up to her belly fur. A few moments later, Willow saw a tail trailing above the thick grass and yelled at it, calling for help. Soon, we saw two cats charging through the grass towards us, one the size of a full grown cat, the other was slightly larger than I am. When they reached us, Willow started screaming at them to save me first, then her. It seemed to work because the older cat ordered the smaller one to grab a stick from the Thunderclan border. It seemed like ages before the young cat returned with a very large tom, who carried a large, dense stick. The other older cat took it and offered it to me. I was, at that point, barely still above the surface. I grabbed the stick and bit in, hard. The cat pulled with all his strength, barely managing not to fall in himself. The mud didn't seem to want me to leave, tugging at my fur. My pelt felt as though it would be torn away at any moment, but I was finally pulled free." She finished. "I believe I owe him my life." She said with a soft smile to Tuftpaw. He felt his pelt grow warm. He smiled back.

"Bravo! Bravo! Excellent story! I loved it." Wingfall said, grinning immensely. "And I assume the young cat in this story was none other than Tuftpaw?"

"The one and only." Sky said. "Now that I've told you a story, could you tell us a few?"

"Yes, please?" They both begged the elder.

"Oh, alright. Get comfortable." He gave in easily to the prospect of telling a story. They began shifting around until they were satisfied.

Lying next to each other, pelts brushing, they prepared for Wingfalls stories.

It was nightfall before they were done. "Oh, my! It's getting very late! You two should be off to your nests." The elder exclaimed when he saw how dark it was getting.

Tuftpaw was about to get up when he noticed that Sky was leaning on him. He looked at her and saw that she was already asleep. He looked at the elder. "Would you mind if we slept here tonight?" He asked with and apologetic look on his face.

"Not at all. You two were so kind, letting me tell you all those stories. It truly does make my day when I can entertain young cats." He said, still smiling.

"Thank you, Wingfall."

"My pleasure, truly."

He pressed closer to Sky, so as to share his warmth, and folded his paws under his chest and began to get much sleepier. As he was drifting off, he faintly remembered that Sandfoot, their medicine cat, was going to ask Starclan if Willow and Sky could stay. _We'll find out in the morning, won't we? _And with that thought, he fell to sleep.

When Tuftpaw opened his eyes, he saw that Sky was still asleep beside him. Not wanting to disturb her, he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

When he awoke for the second time, he found Sky beside him, but awake. He heard a cat calling from the entrance to the elders den. "Hey! Tuftpaw! You down there? Moorstar's making an announcement! Hurry up!" He identified it as Larkpaw.

"We're coming!" He called. "Come on, Moorstar's making an announcement." He told Sky, nudging her gently.

"Okay, I'm awake." She said, still sounding tired.

"Need some help?" He offered.

"No, I'm okay." She said, getting up but still sounding tired. As they walked towards the entrance of the elders den she wobbled a bit, obviously not used to getting up so fast after waking.

He walked closer and offered her support, which she glady took. "Thanks."

When they exited the elders den, he could already see a large group of cats milling around the great rock, which Moorstar was standing on. He noticed Tuftpaw and said something that he couldn't hear to Larkpaw, who quickly ran over to them. "Moorstar would like to see her before making the announcement. Come on!" He ran back.

Tuftpaw nudged Sky and she nodded, still sleepy. They both took off towards the great rock. Moorstar jumped down and greeted them. "Hello Sky, Tuftpaw. I would like to talk to you two before I make the announcement. Follow me." He walked around the rock and stopped behind it, next to Willow and Gorsefang.

Willow looked as though she would explode from happiness and excitement. "I can't believe this is actually happening! Oh, there you are Sky! I was wondering where you were! You look so tired, having fun, I hope?"

"Hrmm? Oh, yes. Fun." Sky muttered, rubbing her face with her paw.

"I brought you here because I need to ask you two a few questions." He said this while looking at Sky and Tuftpaw.

"Yes, Moorstar?" Tuftpaw asked.

"I need to know if you will help in mentoring Sky."

_Mentoring, that means..._ Both Sky and Tuftpaw took in shocked gasps. Sky was instantly awake, her eyes wide. "Does that mean..?" Sky was about to ask but Tuftpaw cut her off.

"Y-yeah, of course I will!" He answered his leader.

"Good. That was all I needed to know. Gorsefang?"

"Yes?" Gorsefang replied, turning his head.

"Would you assist in mentoring Willow?"

"Yes."

"Good. Do you want to keep your name or receive a proper apprentice name, meaning I give you a name based on your traits and appearances?"

Sky thought long and hard about this. But decided to keep her name. "I think I'll keep my name, thanks."

"And you, Willow?"

"Same, I'll keep my name."

Moorstar shrugged his shoulders. "Very well. Go back to the crowd and I'll make the announcement." He ordered them.

They turned and began to walk towards the crowd of cats. Tuftpaw could see Sky bouncing up and down while walking. "What are you doing?" He asked curiously.

"I'm just so happy! And excited! I can actually be an apprentice of a warrior clan! It's so exciting!"

She was quickly hushed by Gorsefang, who was walking next to them. "Silence, please."

Sky snapped her mouth shut and stopped bouncing. She followed, keeping pace, but just barely. They stopped when they got near to the front of the crowd.

Moorstar appeared at the top of the rock, the sun gleaming off his fur. "I have called you here for an announcement because, as you all know, we only have two apprentices and no medicine cat apprentice. Sandfoot is getting old, and needs an apprentice soon, before she dies of old age. That is why I have decided to accept these two cats into our ranks, Sky and Willow!" He pointed his tail at the two cats while others around them shuffled away. Tuftpaw did not though, standing firmly by Sky.

"But they're not of Windclan blood!" A brown colored warrior named Shrewtooth shouted at the leader. Many others soon joined in.

"We don't have enough prey!" Called one cat, "We can't waste our time or warriors training these cats!" Another called.

"I know that," Moorstar replied to the last cat, "That is why Gorsefang has agreed to mentor both of them."

To this last announcement, some cats seemed outraged, muttering to themselves, such as Shrewtooth. Others had a look of understanding on their faces. Most simply looked confused, as if they had no idea what was going on.

"As I was saying!" He called calmly over the talking cats, "We need apprentices and warriors, even if we must take in loners such as Willow and Sky. But as you all saw a few nights ago, as I saw as well, Sky is an amazing fighter, already able to hold her own against Tuftpaw. And when we took Willow on a hunting patrol this morning, as a test, and she proved to be an excellent hunter! In fact, you can thank her for that rabbit you were eating earlier, Shrewtooth." He finished smugly, looking down to the troublesome warrior. By now, cats were muttering to themselves again, but not with malice this time. It sounded as though some cats were convinced, but not all.

Moorstar seemed to be struck by a sudden idea. "I know what could convince you cats! Sky! Larkpaw! Come here!" He called the young cats.

As they were walking, Larkpaw smiled sweetly to Sky, "What do you think he could want us?" Sky simply turned her head away from him, however, un-attracted.

When they reached were both in front of the rock, Moorstar positioned them on either side, a fox-length away from each other. "If Sky wins, would you cats accept her into the clan?" Moorstar asked the group of cats, as they began to move away from the younger cats, a fight was obviously going to take place.

"Hah! She could never beat my son!" Shouted Shrewtooth.

Sky looked at him sharply, "Is that a challenge?" She asked him, eyes narrowing.

He simply returned the glare, "Yes it is, kit." He said, trying to provoke her.

She simply stared at him, then looked to Larkpaw, and said "This is going to be fun!"

Larkpaw looked back, clearly frightened by the battle hungry she cat. "No, I don't want to fight with you, please!"

"Sorry, should have thought about that before your father made me angry. I hope you actually try." She replied sarcastically, then asked Moorstar, "Are we ready?"

"Yes, we are." He stepped back. "Fight!"

Sky flew past him, crashing into Larkpaw, knocking him at least a cat-length. She waited for him to make the next move. He rushed at her, and tried to jab at her face with his paw, but she side-stepped him, lifted her paw, and brought it down on the back of his neck while he was still in mid-air, smashing him into the ground. She stepped back, again waiting for him to attack. This time, when he charged, Tuftpaw could see true battle-fury, his eyes having turned a crimson red. He was now relying on instinct, speed, and pure, sheer strength. He managed to push her back, swiping his paw extremely fast, barely missing Sky's nose every time. He suddenly bursted to her side, spun, and brought his paw around with full force, the speed of the turn making it much more powerful. It collided with her shoulder, sending her flying into Moorstar's rock, her body smashing into the cold stone. She slumped to the floor, seemingly unconscious. Tuftpaw started to rush over to her, but she disappeared as she used blinding speed to launch her straight upwards, far above Tuftpaw's head. Larkpaw looked shocked, whipping his head around, looking for her next attack point, but had no success. As he looked up, Sky came crashing down into the ground directly in front of him, knocking up dust, making it impossible for Tuftpaw to see them. When the dust cleared, Larkpaw was unconscious on the ground. With Sky standing over him, not victoriously, but just staring at his body. "I won. He lost. But how did I win?" She asked herself.

"Battle-fury, only true warriors get that. Your vision goes red, and so do your eyes. You start to become more of a beast than a warrior, relying on speed, power, and instinct. No skill involved." He answered her question as he walked up to her.

"But, why did I get it, of all cats? I'm not even a clan cat."

"You are now." Moorstar said as he walked up behind her.

"Really? Do you think one battle was enough?" She asked, not believing it herself.

"I know it, look around you." He told her.

She looked around and saw astonished faces, some amazed, some horrified, others simply shocked.

"Does Sky deserve to be part of Windclan!?" He shouted to the cats watching. What he got was mixed with positive and negative replies, though the positive had more votes. "Welcome to Windclan, Sky." He said looking down at Sky, who looked back with amazement, but her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she collapsed.

"Get Sandfoot! Now!" Tuftpaw called, several cats running to the medicine den.

"Don't worry Tuftpaw, it's just that battle-fury takes more energy than most cats can bear. I'm surprised Larkpaw stayed conscious as long as he did. Go get Gorsefang and Willow and tell them that you would like to go on a hunting patrol with them."

"Alright, but I'm still worried."

"I said don't worry, didn't I? It'll be fine."

"Okay," He bowed his head to Moorstar, whispering in Sky's ear, he said, "I'll see you later Sky." And with that, he went to find Gorsefang and Willow.


	2. Chapter 2

Sitting in the dense pine forest, a cat was questioning himself even though he knew the answers. _When will my anger end? _It won't._ Why does it hurt so much? _He has no one._ How will I cope? _He'll figure something out._ Who do I blame? _Everyone._ What will I do? _There isn't anything to do.

He was always so angry with everyone, sometimes for no reason at all. He had no one important to him. What he had been told was that his mother had either died in the huge flood or abandoned him shortly before, And he doesn't know who or where his father is, if he's still alive.

"Blackclaw! Are you ready yet?" Blackclaw turned sharply from the bird he had been despondently shredding while he was thinking, it had turned into a bloody mush under his claws. As he was walking toward the cat who had called him, his left fore-paw was covered in blood, leaving pools of crimson on the pine floor.

When he reached the cat who had called him, he turned to look at the forest. While he was looking, his body suddenly collapsed, with his head hitting the ground with a dull thud. Surprisingly though, he felt nothing. Not even when he saw a dark crimson pool just inside his vision. _What happened..? _He wondered as everything went completely black.

* * *

He woke on the two leg construct that served as a border between Riverclan and Shadowclan. He stood up, his joints aching, stretched his forepaws, arched his back, curled his tail over his back, and let out an enormous yawn.

He suddenly heard a sharp snap, and whipped around to face three cats, one was a large white tom with large black paws, the second a small black and white tom, third was a silvery grey she cat. He curled his lips back in a snarl, ready to defend himself. "Who're you?"

This question seemed to anger the largest of the three, the white tom. "Haven't you ever listened to the elders tales of us!?" The she cat gently laid her tale across his broad shoulders, which seemed to calm him down.

"Relax Blackstar, I wouldn't expect this cat to know any elders tales." She turned toward Blackclaw. "We are the cats who fought alongside Starclan against the dark forest warriors."

When Blackclaw heard the name Blackstar, he thought he remembered something else. His fur lay flat as he got curious. "Isn't there another one of you?"

"Yes, there is." Blackclaw whipped around to see a ginger tom and another warrior walking up from behind. "My name is Firestar. I don't expect for a cat like you to know who I am. I was the leader of Thunderclan while it was still in the old forest, and the first leader of Thunderclan at the lake. We're here to help you, Blackclaw."

"How do you know my name?" He questioned them, trying to keep his composure, starting to become frightened.

"We know more about you than any living cat." Replied the smaller black and white tom.

"What do you want from me!?" He asked loudly, his voice starting to run high and desperate.

"Calm down, we only want to help you. Okay?" Said the she cat.

Blackclaw began to get calmer, but he was still a little frightened. "What's there to help me with? I'm not dead am I? Not that I had much to live for." He asked despondently.

"No, you're not dead, just unconscious." Replied the warrior behind Firestar, a silvery gray tom with peculiarly blue eyes. "You shouldn't think of yourself like that. Every cat has something to live for. You just need to find it."

Blackclaw thought he felt as though something was trying to get inside his mind, and heard the silver-gray tom mutter something to Firestar. "What did you do?" He asked him.

He looked slightly startled. "What did you feel?"

"I felt as though something was trying to get in my head."

The tom laughed. "Hah! Yeah, that was me. I can read your mind."

"What!? How?" Blackclaw asked, puzzled.

The tom looked slightly puzzled too. "Actually, I'm not sure. I'm one of the four cats from the most recent prophecy. My name's Jayfeather. It's just something I do."

"If you can read my mind, can you put thoughts in my head?"

Once again, Jayfeather looked puzzled. "I could try, but don't expect anything, got it?"

"I've got it."

"Walk with me." He turned, padded a few steps away, and stopped.

Blackclaw followed. When he reached Jayfeather he sat down. "What are we going to do?"

"Try to think of a memory, real or not." Jayfeather told him.

Blackclaw thought hard, but the only memory he had that was important was the most vague. It was a memory of when he had been washed away by the flood. He concentrated on that one thought, every sense cast aside.

There was a sudden thought in Blackclaw's head, _can you hear this? It's Jayfeather. _He realized that he had been successful. "Yeah, I can hear you." He said out loud.

"Good, now that I know it works, we can speak privately. Also, I want to talk about that memory."

"Alright." Replied Blackclaw.

"Before that, if you want to talk to me with your mind, you just need to think of what you want to say, and I should be able to hear you. Now, about the memory."

"Yes?"

"Do you think it's real?"

"I'm not sure."

"It looks like a real memory, for instance, why would you imagine something as horrible as being nearly drowned? Also, if you pay attention, you can see another cat too, near the end of the memory. Here, let me show you, think of the memory, concentrate on it, don't let anything distract you."

Blackclaw thought hard. He heard a distant voice, like an echo, in the back of his mind. He focused on it until he could hear it clearly. _I'm going to walk you through this, okay?_ He knew it was Jayfeather. _Alright, okay, I'm ready._ He thought. Slowly he began to focus on the memory again.

He dove into the farthest reaches of his mind and finally found it. All he could see himself was a swirling blue and the occasional cloudy blue sky. He saw in his mind what he truly believed was the one truth in his life. His earliest memory was his final claim to sanity, what he used to hold onto his life. Without this thought, this recollection, he would fall apart, destroyed by the emptiness left by the void of lies. Even with it, though, he was barely still sane. His emotions laying waste to all his actions, at times.

_Are you alright? _Blackclaw noticed that he was trembling. _Yeah, I'm okay. _He whipped his mind back to the memory. What he saw would be rather confusing if he hadn't known it. Swirling blue, occasional sky, deafening noise, and something else in the background, possibly a voice. _Can you hear it? _Jayfeather asked him. _Yes, I can hear it, sort of. _He replied mentally.

_Good, now focus on it._ Jayfeather instructed. Blackclaw attempted to pinpoint the noise. He could hear three things: the deafening rush of water, and two voices; one, he could guess, was his own. The other he couldn't recognize. Both were the shrill screeches of kits, both containing gasps for air when they re-emerged from the water. He was surprised neither of them drowned.

He suddenly became more aware of the thought, as though he were reliving it, he could feel the water rushing around and through his wet pelt, taste the dirty water that he was being swept away in, feel the pain of aching bones that had tried so hard to keep him alive.

The water was horrifyingly cold, freezing him to the bones while he battered in tumbling circles by the rushing current. The inside of his mouth was so numbed by the freezing water that he couldn't taste the water, though he could still feel the sticks and debris that was destroyed by the flood.

Suddenly, he crashed into a piece of a branch that had gotten trapped by brambles, the breath knocked clean out of him. When he regained his breath, less than a heart-beat later, he began scrabbling furiously at the branch, finally managing to climb it, however much he hurt.

When he reached the top of the branch he turned around just in time to see a white kit with dark-grey stripes being swept pass the branch. "Shade!" The kit called before being swept back under.

"Frost!" Shade screamed despairingly.

The branch made a jolting lurch, nearly throwing Shade off, back into the water. He clung to it desperately. The tremors became so powerful he could hardly hold on. He turned to leap off of it, and hopefully away from the water. As he jumped though, the branch gave way and was destroyed as it was swept away by the powerful current.

He didn't try to judge his jump and saw he was heading straight for a dry rock. He clenched his eyes shut, hard. He saw nothing but blackness for what felt like moons, what he felt next was an unbearable pain in his head, slightly above his eyes.

Blackclaw then regained control of his mind and body. he opened his eyes to see his paws planted firmly on the hard two leg construct. "It's never been that vivid before." He muttered, quivering slightly.

Jayfeather stepped closer, putting his head next to Blackclaws. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked.

Blackclaw took a few steps back and started shouting at Jayfeather, roiling with pure hatred. "No! I'm not fine! Does this mean I wasn't born in the clans? Now the only truth in my life means more lies?! How do you expect me to live now? I have no one close to me and no one cares about me! In fact, why are you cats trying to help me if I'm not even from the clans?"

He heard Firestar walking up behind him. "Because we see a cat who needs help. We see in you a cat who could destroy your clan, or a cat who could lead it to salvation. We can't let you become a tyrant who drives out other clans to lengthen his territory." His expression was that of utter determination.

"What do you mean!? If Darkstar knows that I'm not clan born, why would he make me deputy? Why would he anyway? I'm just an emotional wreck."

"Nobody but the queen who cared for you as a kit and the warrior who found you know that you aren't full Shadowclan." Said the smaller cat, as he stepped up to stand next to Firestar.

"That would explain why nobody laughs at me, or makes fun of me. But that doesn't explain why Pineleaf was so kind to me as a kit, and so proud of me when I became a warrior."

"That's because she truly felt like you were her kit. Whether you were born to her or not." Said the she-cat, walking up to the smaller cat.

"Shadowclan doesn't benefit from me more than any other warrior, or apprentice for that matter. I'm hardly ever taken to battle, should I think that means something?" He began to calmly question the Starclan cats.

"The only reason you don't benefit your clan more than others isn't because you aren't skilled, it's because you don't try. The reason you aren't taken to more battles is because there haven't been any big enough to require assistance from more cats." Blackstar meowed gruffly, standing imposingly next to Firestar.

Blackclaw heard movement and turned to see that Jayfeather had begun striding back to the group of cats, standing at the farther side of the construct. "I'll admit I don't understand how you must feel, so alone, so helpless. But you're lying to yourself when you say that you don't have anyone in your clan to care for, you have Pineleaf. She loves you as she would love a kit born to her. Your mentor respects you as an equal, having trained you to his fullest extent."

They were right, he knew they were. He just wanted so bad to believe them, to lay hope and trust in them. but he couldn't, for whatever reason he couldn't. "I'm sorry, I want to believe you, I really do. What you're saying could change my life for the better." _Or make it much worse._ Muttered a part of him, the reason he couldn't trust them. "I'll think about what you're saying when I wake up. But for now, too much has changed too quickly. I hope you understand." He dipped his head.

"Yes, I understand." Firestar stepped forward and dipped his head also. "I appreciate you listening to us. I understand if you are having trouble accepting what we have told you. Meet us at the moon pool at midnight during the half-moon." Firestar began to fade, as did the other cats. Even the ground underneath Blackclaws paws began to disappear.

All around him was completely dark, a blackness that you feel like you can touch. A darkness you feel is watching, waiting. And then, when you dismiss it and you think you're safe, it jumps, going for your heart, your security. Because when you lose that, you lose everything.

A cat walked out of the darkness in front of him. He was a large, lean tom with a striking blaze of white on his chest. "Hello, Blackclaw. I'm glad you're here."

"Who're you?" He asked. He'd seen enough strange things today, so he wasn't surprised.

"A friend, a valuable one." He smiled as he faded away.

* * *

Blackclaw woke with a start, only to find himself in the medicine cats den. When he moved, his head started to throb and the world started spinning, he set his paw on it. After it stopped throbbing, and the world stopped spinning, he felt something warm and wet, he brought He saw Stormcloud, Shadowclans medicine cat, "ugh... My head hurts, did I hit a rock?" He set his head back down on the soft moss.

Stormcloud sighed, "Yes, and I'm still trying to treat it. Why did you have to wake up now?" She muttered the last part under her breath, with obvious irritation.

"How long have I been h.. Hey!" He tried to protest as Stormcloud pressed a small, fuzzy leaf to his head. The stinging faded slowly, replaced by a numbing cold. "What is that?" He asked her in shocked amazement.

"Mint, it numbs the pain. It's so you don't move so much when I apply other herbs." She said simply as she looked through assorted herbs. "Ah! Here it is. Aaaannd... This!" She said proudly.

"What is it?"

"Adders tongue." She saw his look of disgust and said, slightly annoyed. "The herb, not the actual tongue."

"Better," He said, glad he wouldn't have to deal with an angry adder, now of all times.

"It'll keep your wound from being infected." She said, placing the herb down, next to his head.

"How bad was it?" He asked, concerned more for himself than anything at the moment.

"Bad. But not as bad as your first one. You still have the scar from it. I still have no idea how you got that." She said, chewing the herb into a poultice.

"Yeah, me neither." He muttered, even though now he knew entirely why. He got it from when he tried to escape the flood, jumping off of the shifting drift wood, trying to reach dry land, but hitting a rock instead.

"Hold still. This shouldn't sting." She said, lathering the poultice on his wound. Surprisingly it didn't sting, though he could still feel the wet wad of the chewed herb.

"How have I been here?" He asked quickly, so he wasn't interrupted this time, when it seemed she had finished with the poultice.

She looked down at him with the slightest hint of concern in her face. But it was soon replaced by her usual sarcastic, all-knowing expression. She turned back to the remaining herb and said, "Long enough to make me worry if you would make it. I don't like it when cats die, that's why I'm a medicine cat, to keep cats from dying."

_It must've been pretty bad to make Stormcloud worry. _"I didn't think you worried about any cats, you're always so tough and unrevealing." He said, half muttering to himself, his head still laying on the soft pine needles.

"That's what I've been trying to be. I worry about every cat. I don't let any one see my other side because I don't like weaknesses. They make a cat, obviously, weak. But they also make you stronger, facing fears, not backing down, and eventually you aren't afraid anymore. But unfortunately, that doesn't always work, sometimes when you try to stand up to your fears, you get beaten down, pushed back, driven against a wall. And then it just gets worse, no chance of recovery. It's a great risk that I don't think is worth taking. That's why I decided to change, become resistant to my fears, because being a medicine cat is the exact opposite of my fear." She lectured him. He realized something he never had before. That life isn't worth throwing away, no matter the pain.

"Thank you, Stormcloud." He said quietly.

"What for? You didn't actually learn anything from my ramblings, did you?" She asked astonished.

"You made me realize how stupid it is to hate my life. Thank you, truly." He said, looking into her dark blue eyes.

"What? Y-you're welcome, I guess. I never knew you hated your life." She blurted, slightly startled by his thanks.

"Every aspect, I didn't have anyone who understood me, I was never an excellent hunter, nor was I an excellent fighter, I didn't think I had anyone who loved me even though I do."

"Pineleaf?" She asked, now laying beside him. He was still laying on his side, his head resting on the pine needles.

"Yes. She loves me like her own kit, doesn't she? I didn't appreciate her like I should have, I pushed her away. But not anymore, when I get out I'm going to visit Pineleaf."

"I think that is a good idea. She would like that." She was now looking softly into his eyes.

"What is your fear? You didn't tell me." He questioned, changing the subject.

"What? My fear? I don't know if I can trust you..."

"Don't worry. I won't tell a soul."

"Okay, do you promise not to tell anyone?"

He smiled and chuckled, "Yes, I promise."

"Fine, I haven't told any cat before, not even my mentor. I don't know why I'm telling you, of all cats but, I guess it would take a lot off of my conscious. When I was about 4 moons old, my mother died. Do you remember that?"

"Yes, I remember. It was horrible. Ashfern was a good cat, she always let you play with me."

She sighed, "She was a good cat and a good mother. But what no cat knows is that I watched her die, and I couldn't do anything about it." She dropped her head for several moments before she spoke again, her head still down. "She was killed by two vicious kittypets, they played with her, batting her around roughly, their claws stretched to their fullest extent. She stood no chance against them, she was tortured, her pelt was shredded to ribbons, her muscles torn into a bloody mess, they were savages. In her last moments she collapsed on the ground, and looked at me. I could tell she could see me, I saw a look in her eyes that told me to run, so I did. As fast as I could, until my legs felt like they would snap from exhaustion alone. I was horrified, my life had changed forever. I wasn't the same cat after that. I trained to be a warrior so that I could some day defeat and kill them, torture them, like they did to my mother. Eventually we did go on a patrol to that area. But we hadn't taken enough cats. we were defeated, destroyed, I was the only survivor of that patrol. I had never expected two cats to be so powerful. When they were on their own, they could be defeated. But as a pair they were invincible, it looked as though they had been born to fight us, maybe even trained. They were so fluid, s-so coordinated. The worst part of it all was th-that as they k-killed the patrol, I could see a look of pure j-joy and entertainment on their faces. They were having fun, th-they..." She had begun to get more upset with every sentence. And at the last sentence, she was so upset that she couldn't speak. She simply lay there, her head down, breathing in broken gasps.

Blackclaw had sat up, however much his head hurt, even with the effects of the mint, in horrified shock. He couldn't believe what he was hearing,_ Why? Why were they so cruel? And why hadn't she told him? __**Because she didn't want anyone to see her as weak. **_Answered a voice in his head. _Jayfeather? Is that you?_ He asked, but got no answer. He instead looked at Stormcloud, still hanging her head and breathing roughly. He tried to comfort her, "It's all right. You survived, didn't you?" She looked up.

"Y-y-yeah, but only because I hid in a bush like a c-coward, afraid of what w-would happen to me, afraid of the pain, afraid of everything." She spat out the last word.

"If you had left that bush you would've died. And if you died, no one would have known what happened. Don't worry, we will bring these two to justice. We will make them feel the pain that the cats they killed must have suffered."

"Th-thank you, Blackclaw. It means more to me than you can imagine. G-get me some poppy seeds, I need to sleep."

Blackclaw got up painfully and walked to the herbs, sorted neatly. He searched for the seeds and eventually found them. He brought two for Stormcloud and two for himself. He lay them in front of her.

"Th-thank you." She repeated as she lapped up the seeds. Her eyes drooped and she curled into a ball. Blackclaw swallowed the seeds and instantly, the world started going fuzzy, as sleep tried to overcome him. He curled himself next to Stormcloud, her fur warm against his pelt. He closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

* * *

**Please review if you liked it!**


	3. Chapter 3

Blackclaw woke to find himself lying alone, Stormcloud had woken long before and was now standing over her herbs, not moving, just staring at them. "Stormcloud, what are you doing?" Blackclaw asked.

After a long pause, Stormcloud answered. "I was just... Thinking, about my life." She said, sitting, not looking at Blackclaw.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry for bringing back those horrible memories."

She sighed, "It's alright, I should actually be thanking you. You reminded me why it's not good to hide your emotions. From now on, I'll be my self, not the cat I'm not."

"I'm glad to have helped, but I really shouldn't have done that." Blackclaw looked at his paws.

Stormcloud looked at him. "Don't worry, I'm fine. It took a lot off my shoulders by finally telling someone. Hey, look at me." She walked up to him with a leaf held tenderly in her jaws.

He looked up and asked, "What's the leaf for?"

"Burdock. It'll help your head heal faster. Do you want to chew it, or should I?" She offered him the leaf.

"I'll chew it." He reached up to take the leaf, nearly touching her nose in the process.

When he had finished chewing the leaf, Stormcloud instructed him, "Spit it on your paw and lather it on the wound."

As Blackclaw began to rub it on the wound, it began stinging painfully. But he continued, cringing as he did so. "Do you want any mint?" Stormcloud asked with minor concern.

"No." He muttered through gritted teeth. After he finished, he sat, cringing as he waited for the stinging to cease.

When it did, he let out a sigh of relief. "I was afraid it wouldn't stop." He said, relieved the pain was over.

"That looked painful. Does it still hurt?"

"Only a little bit, not too much. Can I go to Pineleaf now?" He asked, looking to the entrance of the medicine cat den anxiously.

"Only if you want every cat in the clan staring at you, the burdock is still on your wound you know."

"I already had every cat staring at me, because of this scar. It isn't that bad any more, but most cats still don't like it."

"I don't like it. Or the fact that I still don't know where you got it." He got up and began to pad towards the den entrance. "If you want to talk to me you know where I'll be." He said over his shoulder, while Stormcloud simply sat, shaking her head.

When he got out of the medicine cats den, he headed straight toward the warriors den, directly past Darkstar's den. He poked his head through the entrance and called softly, "Pineleaf? It's Blackclaw. Can we talk?"

"Blackclaw? Of course we can talk. What is it?" His adopted mother stirred in her nest, looking slightly surprised that he had come to talk to her.

He stepped in and walked towards Pineleaf. Settling down next to her, he said, "I'm sorry for having pushed you out of my life for so long. I hope you can forgive me."

"It's okay, I knew that eventually you would grow away from me. Of course I can forgive you, why wouldn't I?"

"It's just that I've been so mean to you, I thought that you might hate me for it."

"That's silly, I could never hate you. You're my kit, and I will never stop loving you. Remember that."

"Now I know that. I love you too. I should probably go back to Stormcloud's den, I don't want to hurt myself any more than I have already."

"That's a good idea. Thank you for coming to see me."

Looking in her eyes, he got up and walked back to the medicine cat's den. When he got back, Stormcloud looked at him and asked, "Back so soon? You must've made peace quickly, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did." He nodded.

"That's good." She said, obviously distracted.

"What's on your mind? Not that memory again?"

"Hmm? No, not that. Just thinking."

"About what?"

"Nothing important. And anyway, it's none of your business." She snapped.

"Okay, fine. But you didn't tell me your fear last night." He said, slightly surprised by her sudden change.

She sighed in exasperation. "What does it matter to you?"

"Because... Okay, fine, so what if I don't have a reason? I was just hoping that you were my friend. My only friend, for that matter."

She looked annoyed, "Are you forgetting Pineleaf already?"

"She's more than a friend, she's my mother."

She sighed again, "Fine, but never tell any cat."

"I won't."

Stormcloud took in a deep breath and finally said, "Death, that's what I fear the most." She looked down at her paws in shame.

"Hey, fearing death isn't anything to be ashamed of." Blackclaw stepped closer.

"It's not just my death that scares me, it's when cats die in front of my eyes and I can't do anything about it." She said, turning her head away from Blackclaw.

"Come on, it's not bad to be afraid of something every cat is."

She looked back at him, "Oh, please. You aren't afraid of anything." She said with confidence.

"Not really. I'm afraid of more things than you are."

"Oh, really? Like what?"

"Well, I'm afraid of losing my mind, for one thing. And I'm also afraid of losing a fight."

She laughed, "Why would you be afraid of that?"

He looked at her seriously, "Because it means I'm strong, and if I lose a fight, it means I'm weak. And weakness is something else I'm afraid of."

"So why are you standing around here? I'm one of the weaker cats in the clan, so why are you staying around me?"

"Because you're my only friend in the clan."

"Come on, a cat as strong and handsome as you should have some popularity among the clan, possibly even outside."

"Well, thanks for saying that, but I'm not popular at all. Quite the opposite, really."

She looked thoughtful, "I never noticed, sorry."

"That's okay, I don't mind. No one ever notices me." He said, slightly depressed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that." She looked at him and stepped forward, towards him.

"It's alright, I'm just glad that you're my friend."

She looked at him, and finally said something, breaking the silence and changing the subject, "Do you want that scar?"

"Which one? The new one? Not really."

"Okay, I can get rid of it before it becomes a problem. Hold on." She walked to her medicines and returned with a thick, sharp, green leaf. When she reached him, she sliced it in half with one cut. Then she placed the meat of it on top of Blackclaw's wound. It started to sting, but this time it began to turn from stinging to soothing, relieving the pain.

"Is that better?" She cocked her head.

"Yes, thank you." He settled down, "Guess I shouldn't disturb the herb while it's healing."  
"Aren't you uncomfortable on the pine needles?"

"No, they're actually pretty soft. What are you saying? Do you think I should make an actual nest for tonight?"

"Yeah, that's what I was trying to say. You don't have to stay long, but only until that wound's done healing. And while you're here, you may as well be comfortable." She said sternly and determinedly.

Blackclaw realized he couldn't argue with Stormcloud when she had made up her mind. "Alright, fine. Where should I build a nest?"

"Over here," he followed her as she walked to a corner of the den, "It's much warmer, and it doesn't have as many pine needles. And I could even find some moss, if you want."

He accepted her offer, and she turned to get some moss, "Yes, please." When she got back he asked her, "Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?"

She replied, in an earnest tone, "Because you're injured and I'm a medicine cat. Also, you're my friend, and I don't have very many of those. When I was trying to hide from my fear, not very many cats would approach me without hate, fear, or scorn."

"I understand, completely. It's nearly the same for me. No cat can look at me without noticing my scar, they look at me with pity for what they think happened to me. I hate it, but at the same time this scar is a blessing. It intimidates my enemy. Makes them hesitant to attack me." He smiled cruelly, "Makes them weak. I truly am thankful for this mixed blessing, even though it ruins my chances of making friends out of cats who look on me with pity, and I can't make friends of my enemies because that would be a violation of the warrior code."

Stormcloud had sat down to listen, and now resumed building Blackclaw's new nest. "Here, let me help." He began to twine pine needles together like a wide birds nest. When they stepped back to admire their handy work, this is what they saw; a large, wide birds nest, built out of brown pine needles and cushioned with springy, soft, green moss. On the outside, it looked painful and uninviting. But inside, the moss provided warmth and comfort.

"Very well done, it looks comfortable." Stormcloud commented, looking proudly at their work.

"That was what we were going for, wasn't it?" Blackclaw looked at her.

She smiled, "Yes, it was." They heard footsteps and spun around to see a deep ginger cat with even deeper red eyes.

When she spoke, her tone was incriminating, "What do we have here? Is our medicine cat making new friends? And a nest. Some cats wouldn't approve, you know, such as... Oh, I don't know, our warrior ancestors?" She snarled at the two on the last part.

"Go away, Bloodpaw. This isn't any of your business."

"All I'm saying is that cats will eventually start talking about you, if they haven't already. And if you don't get him out of here now, I'll start the talk, most likely with Darkstar." She threatened quietly, not shouting but still convincing, at least to Blackclaw. He knew he didn't want to be on this cat's bad side.

"Don't you dare threaten me, Bloodpaw! You couldn't understand if you tried. And anyway, you don't have any power over me. Get out of my medicine den!" She commanded the apprentice.

"Fine, but if you get too attached to him, I won't be able to allow you to be medicine cat much longer, sister." She spat out the last word like it was a curse. She easily slipped into the shadows behind her, as though she were a part of them.

When Blackclaw couldn't hear, smell, or see any sign of Bloodpaw, he said, "What was she talking about?"

"You know what she was talking about, and so do I. I don't like this."

"How could she think that way about us? We were only building me a nest, it isn't like we were going to be mates."

"I know, but she is extremely devious at times. If she wanted to remove me from my position of medicine cat she could, easily."

"But that's impossible! You don't even have an apprentice yet! If you weren't the medicine cat then who would heal the injured warriors?" "I don't know. I can't understand why she would hate me because of..." She looked for a proper word. "This. She never has liked me, but she never resorted to threats like this."

Blackclaw turned and started pacing. "Why would she try to do something that would put the entire clan at risk? What is she trying to do?"

Stormcloud looked at him with her old expression of sarcasm. "It's obvious, isn't it? She wants to keep me away from you. Although why she would care about my personal life is beyond me."

"It might just be that you're a medicine cat."

"Good point, but I don't think she would care about that. Any cat but her would care about a medicine cat having a mate, but she couldn't care less."

"Why are we worrying about some apprentice? It's not like she can do anything." He said, trying to change the subject.

She hissed at him and he spun around, "Never underestimate her. You can never guess what she's going to do next. What should I do?" She asked frantically.

"Just ignore her, I don't see how she can be so powerful, isn't she just 8 moons old? She's barely even an apprentice."

"That's only because you haven't known her your whole life. I have, I know what she's capable of, you don't. Just stay away from her."

"I wasn't planning to make friends with her, she looks dangerous."

"She is, that's what I was saying."

"But she only looks dangerous." He said, emphasizing the word 'looks'. "She can't actually do anything."

She looked at him sharply and snapped, "You stupid mouse-brain! Do you have something in your ears!? Listen to me! She's dangerous, we have to do something!"

"Fine! Fine, just stop yelling. What do you think we should do?"

"I don't know, but maybe if you just go back to the warriors den after you're done healing, she'll just leave us alone." She looked at her paws.

Blackclaw dipped his head. "Hopefully." He muttered.

Several moments passed, during which the two cats were thinking. Finally, Stormcloud said quietly, "Do you like me? More than just a friend?"

Blackclaw wasn't expecting this question, it startled him, "W-what? Y-you're a good friend, but..." He had to think hard. He'd never thought about it before. After what seemed like ages had passed, he decided the answer, and said, "I'm sorry but... Whether or not I love you, we couldn't ever be together. You're a medicine cat." He looked at her. "Hey, look at me, please." He said softly. She lifted her head, eyes full of sadness. "Please, don't be sad. I'm your friend, I always will be. But we can't be anything more. You know that, don't you?"

She looked at him with sadness and longing in her eyes. She smiled and shook her head, looking down, "Yes, I know. You're right, I can't love you, or any cat. I'm a medicine cat." She sniffed and looked up at the darkening sky, "It's getting dark. We should get some sleep." She got up and walked towards her den, looking over her shoulder she said, "You won't need to be here in the morning, we won't have to worry about Bloodpaw." He watched her curl into her nest, watched as her breathing slowed, became more rhythmical. He got up and walked to his nest that they together had made. _This'll be my last night here, huh?_ He asked himself, looking at it. He sighed, and climbed in, curling into a ball and quickly fell to sleep.

"Hey, Blackclaw, wake up." He felt a paw prod him in the belly.

He got groggily to his paws. "What is it?" He asked.

"It's time you went back to the warriors den." She said, still looking upset. She leaned forward and quickly licked him on the cheek saying, "I'll miss you."

He licked her back, "I'll miss you too." They looked into each others eyes a moment longer, but Stormcloud turned away. "Goodbye, Stormcloud."

As he was walking towards the entrance, Stormcloud whispered, "I love you, Blackclaw."

He looked back, and said in a whisper as well, "I love you too." Then he turned to leave.

Once outside, he walked towards the warriors den. He bumped into several cats, but didn't pay any attention to their angry calls. When he got to the warriors den, he strode to a nest in a far corner, far from any other nests. He settled in, laying his head on his paws, even though it was dawn. He didn't know what to think anymore, he thought he loved Stormcloud, and she said she loved him but why? He wasn't special, he didn't have a prophecy hanging over his head, as far as he knew. And she was only a medicine cat, she wasn't even extraordinary at her job. So, why did they love each other? He didn't know, but what he did know was that he couldn't love her. It would be breaking the medicine cat code in her case, and even if that didn't get her removed from her position as medicine cat, Bloodpaw would. He shuddered at the thought of Bloodpaw and her threats.

A voice disturbed Blackclaw from his thoughts, "Blackclaw? So you're finally out of the medicine den. And to think that we were afraid that you would break the code with Stormcloud. Well, let me just say that I'm sorry for thinking bad of you."

Blackclaw slowly looked up to see Bloodpaw, several apprentices, and a few warriors, behind her. "What do you want, Bloodpaw?" He growled.

She looked slightly hurt at this question, though Blackclaw knew better. "Oh, come on. Can't I just welcome a warrior back to his den?"

He looked at her suspiciously, "I may not know you, but I do know that you aren't the kind of cat who would just welcome a warrior back from the medicine den."

Bloodpaw scowled, saying as she turned around, "Whatever, just know that what I said last night, it was for Stormcloud's own good."

"I know, I just don't trust you." He said at her back.

She smiled at him over her shoulder, then said, "Good, you shouldn't. Come on, let's go." She called her group to leave.

After she had left, Blackclaw set his head back down on his paws. He was about to go to sleep when yet another voice spoke, "Oh, Blackclaw? You're done healing, then?"

He sighed and looked up. It was a cream and grey colored she-cat smiling at him. "Yes, I'm done healing. Anything else you want, Daisyfern?" He asked her.

"No, it's just good to see that you're not dying like you were a few days ago." She said truthfully, turning to leave, "Bye."

"Daisyfern, wait." He said, catching her attention. "Did you just say that I was dying?" He asked, not able to believe it himself.

"Yep, we were all surprised that you survived, everyone was visiting your body, except for Bloodpaw of course, she doesn't care about anyone except herself. Come on, let's go tell everyone you're up." She said, running outside.

Blackclaw rose slowly, he had been sitting on his paws awkwardly for a long time. "Slow down!" He called, but didn't get her attention. He sighed, following her in leaps, she had almost made it to the entrance by the time he had caught up to her.

When they made it out of the warriors den, Daisyfern shouted to the Shadowclan camp, "Blackclaw's alive and awake!"

Several cats whipped around to look at the two, a few rushed up to see them. "Blackclaw! Nice to see you're awake!" Was the more common greeting, some occasionally saying, "Not dead huh? Good job!"

Blackclaw looked all around him, these cats were glad that he wasn't dead! He had thought that he was never appreciated, but now... He knew he was. Now he felt like he might actually have a place in the clan. "Thank you, everyone. It means a lot to me."

When almost all of the cats had left, Blackclaw noticed that one cat still stood in front of him, staring him directly in the face. It was a very small black tom with brown on his paws and a blaze of brown between his eyes. Despite his size, Blackclaw could see that this cat was much older than he was. And what's more, he had no scent. "Would you like to go on a hunting patrol, Blackclaw?" The cat cocked his head to one side.

"Yeah, sure." He turned to Daisyfern, "I'll see you later, unless you want to come?"

She looked delighted, "Absolutely! Where?" She asked happily.

It was the tom who answered, "By the Thunderclan border." When they had exited the Shadowclan camp, the tom told Daisyfern, "What you are about to see, you can't tell any cat about it."

She looked confused, "What? Why?"

"Don't ask questions." He glided smoothly behind her, jumped, and landed on top of her head, smashing it into the ground and knocking her unconscious. "Now that that's out of the way, I can tell you why I asked you out here." He walked towards Blackclaw.

He slid out his claws, "Stay away from me." He growled fiercely.

"Sorry, but I just can't do that." The tom continued walking towards Blackclaw, smiling nicely.

"I said," He arced his claws toward the other tom's face, "Stay away!"

The tom didn't even bother to dodge, Blackclaw's aim was short, and he knew it. "Don't think you can intimidate me, Blackclaw. You can't beat me, you know that, don't you?"

Blackclaw growled, but smiled, "I don't know that yet!" He finished as he leaped for the tom, but he simply glided over.

Blackclaw was now behind the tom, who had his back to him. The tom started to laugh, "Hah! Hahaha! Hahahahaha! You don't honestly think you can beat me if you can't even muster the will hit me!?" He cackled maniacally.

His laugh made Blackclaw shiver, it was the laugh of a cat who had lost his mind. Suddenly, Blackclaw caught a drifting scent and all of his fur rose fearfully, _No... No no no no no no! Please, no!_ He knew who it was, the kittypet from the northern reaches of Shadowclan, he had killed Stormclouds mother! He growled, baring his teeth, _Now it's time to make him pay! _Blackclaw leapt for the cat, who still had his back towards him. The tom turned and stepped forward, his head colliding with Blackclaw's chest. Blackclaw was knocked backward, hitting a tree. He barely had time to see and dodge a paw coming towards his chest, smashing into the tree behind him. He scrambled away, turning around as a paw smashed into the ground where he had been a moment before. The kittypet laughed, "Hahaha! Get back here clan cat! You're mine!" His expression was that of pure glee. He dashed for Blackclaw, swiping above, then below, then left, then right. Just as Blackclaw thought he might get hit, a dark ginger shape crashed into the kittypet, knocking him down for a few moments. Blackclaw saw the last cat he'd been expecting to pop up out of nowhere, Bloodpaw!

She glared ferociously at the kittypet, all of her fur standing on end, "I... I know you!" She dashed forward and began slashing as the kittypet got up, he barely had time to keep dodging backwards. "You're the one who killed Ashfern! You're the one who nearly killed my sister!" She was shrieking in fury and hatred. However, one of her strikes were clumsy, giving the tom an opening for attack. He leaned into the strike, which glided over his shoulder, missing. He reached upward, grabbed her jaw, and ripped fur, flesh, and muscle off of her bottom jaw, spraying blood on his face. Bloodpaw shrieked in agony and staggered backward, leaning to one side. The tom glided to her other side, hovered a paw above her head and smashed the side of her face into a rock on the forest floor, blood gushing from the side of her head.

He looked at Blackclaw with a look of joy, glee, and true amusement, "Ooohh, this is fuuunn. Shall we keep playing? Or are you just going to give up and die already?" He smiled maniacally and laughed, "Hahaha! Haaahahaha! You're the most entertaining toys I've had since that she-cat wandered too close to my home!"

Blackclaw looked past him at Bloodpaw. She was still alive, barely, but she was still alive. Blackclaw dashed towards Bloodpaw, he saw the flash of a claw and ducked, stumbling under the paw. _Why do I care if she's dead? _Blackclaw asked himself as he reached her now lifeless body. "Bloodpaw! Stay awake! Don't die!" He shouted at her body.

"G-g-go, g-get... out of h-here." She managed to gurgle past the blood in her throat. "Pr... pro... protect my sister, got it?" She gave him the best smile she could with most of her bottom jaw ripped off.

It wasn't a pretty site but Blackclaw tried not to notice. "Don't worry Bloodpaw, I will."

She coughed and blood splattered Blackclaw's paws. She looked back at him, "Be sure to kill him for me." Her eyelids fluttered and slowly closed.

She was dead, there wasn't any doubt about it. Blackclaw bared his teeth in rage, fear, and desperation. "Behind you." A voice muttered behind his ear, making Blackclaw whip around. He was now standing face to face with the kittypet who had killed so many cats. The tom thrust his head forward, reaching for Blackclaw's muzzle. Blackclaw recoiled and the tom missed by a whisker. His paw flew up and connected solidly with the toms muzzle, knocking him a few tail-lengths away. He got to his paws, "That hurt, it isn't easy to hurt me." He smiled. "Now it's my turn." He dashed forward and began an extremely fast flurry of attacks, claws glistening.

Attacks came from every direction. Above, below, right, left, everywhere. For every attack Blackclaw dodged he got faster, until he was even faster than his opponent. Not a single attack hit him, glancing off of his pelt. The tom growled, "How are you faster than me? No one's faster than me!" He yowled in rage. His attacks became more desperate as he realized that he was going to lose.

Blackclaw's hatred for the kittypet had left his face blank, devoid of expression. On the outside, he was cool and calm, but on the inside, he was screaming for vengeance. Vengeance for Stormcloud, Bloodpaw, and all the cats he had killed. He ducked under an attack and swung the back half of his body, paws skidding on the ground, until he was side by side with the kittypet. He grabbed his scruff in his jaws and, using his strength and the tom's lightness, he threw him backwards, several cat-lengths away. He skidded a few times, then crashed, back first, into a tree. Blackclaw walked up to the cat calmly, asking. "Before I kill you, what's your name?"

"Why do you need to know that?" The tom asked, acting tough even though he knew he was beaten.

"So that I can tell Stormcloud who killed her mother."

He smiled, shaking his head. "Why would it matter? Oh, whatever, my name's Snake. Don't forget it."

"Don't worry, I won't." He pulled back a paw and sliced open Snake's neck. Snake slumped over, catching himself before he hit the forest floor, dribbling blood.

"You won't kill my brother." Snake gurgled, spitting blood on the ground with every word. He coughed, blood gushing out of his mouth as well as out of his wound. His blood pooled around his fore-paws, staining them a crimson red. Finally, the tom collapsed.

Blackclaw turned away from Snake, who was lying in a pool of his own blood. He walked to Bloodpaw, gazing down at her now lifeless body. "There, he's dead." He said, even though he knew she couldn't hear him. He looked to the sky, and thought of all the cats Snake had killed. But now he had something else to think about; who was Snake's brother? And why had Snake been so determined to kill him?

His legs buckled, and he collapsed next to Bloodpaw's body. He suddenly felt all the pain and exhaustion that the adrenaline had kept from his mind. He faintly heard a cat calling him, and saw a blurred shape rushing towards him. But he lost consciousness before the cat had reached him.

* * *

**A.N. Sorry if there's been a little too much "Fluff", it's just how I wright.**


End file.
